Mother's Day

Madeleine decided to go ALL OUT for me on Mother's Day.  She asked Ethan to take her to the store yesterday, whereat she bought the necessary decorations for my "party."

She almost blew it yesterday, but managed to cover herself REALLY CONVINCINGLY.

MADELEINE: (handing me a bracelet) Here, Mommy.  This is your EARLY present.  It's your ticket to the party!  Um.  It's...I mean...it's your ticket to sleep until...what time do you need to get up tomorrow?
ME: Probably 7.
MADELEINE: It's your ticket to sleep until 7.  Okay, Mommy?  That's what it is.  It's your ticket to sleep until 7.  Mommy, it's your ticket to sleep until 7.

Okay.  Got it.  It's definitely NOT my ticket to the party.

The party started as soon as I was awake this morning.  I walked into the living room to see:

But wait!  Where are all the guests?

Julia was still sleeping, and Madeleine was "hiding" under the chair.  The surprise reveal got a little bit spoiled, however, when Madeleine got herself stuck trying to slide out from underneath:

MADELEINE: (wriggling around and grunting with effort) Okay.  Hang on.  Wait a sec. I have to get...(grunting some more and wriggling) Hang on...okay! (coming free and popping up to her feet) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I then received my gifts, which included a "four-wheel":

MADELEINE: See Mommy?  It's a "four-wheel," because it has four different sides with a different picture on each, and you hang it up with this string, but this is the part that's really AGGRAVATING, because it doesn't really WORK.

Well, it's the thought that counts, right?

I also received hand-made cards from both girls  (poor groggy Julia was dragged from a sound sleep in her bed to join the gift-giving), as well as original artwork and poems.  How lucky am I??

MADELEINE: See?  I told you this was gonna be the best Mother's Day ever!

Madeleine even decorated the previously decorated bag that she put my presents in:

MADELEINE: See, Mommy?  Did you notice that instead of "Frozen," I changed it to "CHOSEN," and it says "Congratulations Courtney Rowe, you have been chosen as the Best Mommy in the world!  Here are your awards!"

OMG.  I am SO.  HONORED.

Finally, I got to attend the "Ribbon Cutting."  Julia had to hold one end of a streamer, Ethan held the other end, and Madeleine gave me some official words to recite.  Upon my last work, I cut the ribbon, just as Madeleine sprayed pieces of paper that she had colored out of her megaphone.  Unfortunately, the "confetti" all just fell out of the megaphone as soon as she picked it up, so we had to have a re-do.

MADELEINE: HAPP-(accidentally dumping all the confetti upon picking up the megaphone) ugh, this happens ALL the time.  And no one ever helps me pick it up.
ME: I'll help you. (picking up pieces of paper and sticking them back in the horn of the megaphone)
MADELEINE: Okay.  Let me do that again.  (shaking the paper out of the megaphone) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!


I really got the royal treatment this year.  Thank you, my sweet and wildly creative children, for reminding me just how loved I am!